Madrid

I´m in Madrid now. I made the voyage here from Alicante this morning. I´m sitting in the hostel right now. It´s really nice... free internet and breakfast! Staying near the city center in an old historic building, but it´s surprisingly cheap. I´m sure there will be loads of photos to come soon. Right now, I want a shower and a nap.

Alicante

I´m in Alicante now. It´s further down the coastline of Spain. Got here at 9 this morning and found a hostel. It´s right by the beach and has a nice view from the rooftop terrace. It´s actually an old house that´s renovated and been turned into a hostel. The people that run it live here too, which is kinda cool. It´s hot and sunny, and there are lots of people out on the beach, unlike the other places I´ve been where it´s still relatively cool out. So, I´m about to go lay out on the beach for awhile. I´m traveling with an Aussie that I met at my hostel in Valencia, so I´m not here alone technically. I´ll probably be here for a few days before either heading further south or going to Madrid.

Valencia, Espana

I´m in Valencia now, which is a 3 and a half hour train ride down the Mediterranean from Barcelona. The train ride was quite... picturesque. Just checked into my hostel a few minutes ago. I think I might go get some orange juice, since I´m in Valencia and all... they´re famous for oranges if you haven´t gotten that by now. 

The Fallas Festival just finished here last week. I made sure to wait so that I would be able to find a place to stay. Not sure exactly what all there is to do here, aside from the beach, but I´ll email photos of the stuff I discover as soon as I have time. It would be much more fun if Charlotte and Hank were still here to wander about with me. Hope you guys made it home ok! 

Well, I guess that´s all for now. More to come soon. I will probably be here for 2 or 3 days before most likely heading to Madrid.

¡Hola from Barcelona!

Well, sometimes you travel half way across the world to be exactly where you´ve always been. I´m in Barcelona right now, made it safe and am in a hostel (the same one I´ve stayed in the last 2 times I´ve been here). There´s a song about Memphis playing right now (can´t put my finger on which one it is) that is what I mean about leaving and somehow still being where you were all along. Funny stuff.

  

  

I´m eagerly awaiting Charlotte and Hank getting here. Less than 24 hours left! But before I can FINALLY get some sleep, I must secure us a room for tomorrow. I´ve been awake since Tues. at 10am and it is currently Wed. at 330pm... almost to 30hrs and still wide awake. Too many coffees. I have already figured out the logistics of meeting them at the airport at 8am. Looks like it´ll be another early morning for me. At least this hostel comes with dinner and

breakfast included so I don´t starve to death. Not that I would... I had Subway this morning (don´t worry Mom).   

  

Hmm let´s see what else? I´ve been on a taxi, a train, a plane, a bus, and a metro today... not to mention all that walking that I did lugging that 30 or 40 pound bag.  Somehow I managed to navigate my way here all by myself. Aren´t you guys so proud? What a day. With no sleep.

  

  

Oh, so this made me smile. I was on the bus from the airport to the city center, and I was aimlessly staring out the window. There was a guy dressed all in black with a black apron down to his ankles. He could have easily just walked out of 206, except for one thing. He was running down the ramblas at full speed, dashing past famous Spanish plazas and historic Spanish architecture, ducking around palm trees, and avoiding running into throngs of people grouped around street performers, artists, merchants selling flowers and

chocolates and papers and crafts, all the while holding tight to 5 freshly baked baguettes that he had just purchased for his beloved restaurant (ok, maybe not beloved... and maybe that was more than one thing). That´s when I thought to myself... ahhhh Espana, I´ve come back to you again... and it´s like I never left.   

  

Bon voyage

Well, in a couple of hours, I'll be leaving Swansea for a little over 5 weeks. A taxi will be picking me up at the lovely hour of 530am, so that I can get to the train station for my 6am train. Then it's off to Bristol for a flight to Barcelona. I must be at the airport and completely checked in by 10am. 

I'll be in Barcelona for a week (meeting Charlotte & Hank). After that, my plans are not really set in stone. I'm most likely going to a couple of other places in Spain; on to Italy via France; then to Greece via a ferry; then back to Italy to meet up with one of my flatmates; then to Switzerland; accross to France; and finally, after an exhausting voyage, riding the chunnel from Paris to London and taking a train from London to Swansea. Hopefully everything will work out. This much is certain, I'm going to Barcelona. I'm spending 4 weeks after that somewhere in Europe riding trains and such. 

So, I guess that's all for now. I really have to finish packing... it's 330am... bet you would have never guessed that I still have to pack with only 2 hours left. hah. Some things never change. Wish me luck! I'll try to send out some updates on how the journey is progressing.